Poseidon-3 Review of The Velvet Touch

The Velvet Touch (1948)

Roz and hubby gave this slick suspense drama the right touch!

[24 July 2008]

Following the costly failure of "Mourning Becomes Electra," which Russell and her husband Frederick Brisson had produced themselves, this somewhat more commercial enterprise put the star back in the public's good graces. She plays a highly successful Broadway actress, groomed from youth by producer Ames, who longs to branch out from the romantic comedies she's known for and perform in "Hedda Gabler" for a competitor of his. When Ames responds to her wishes with blackmail threats, a fight ensues and he winds up dead. Fortunately for Russell, no one seems to notice that she was even in Ames' office and she is able to slink out, leaving the blame at another person's doorstep. However, guilt begins to eat away at her and she can't seem to elude Greenstreet, the inspector on the case. Despite the bright promise of a relationship with new beau Genn and the ability to fulfill her dreams on stage, she starts to feel the heat of her inadvertent crime. Russell, looking fine in a series of Travis Banton costumes, gives a dedicated and engrossing performance, despite the presence of a few mannerisms, which would eventually become part and parcel of her repertoire. Genn is smooth and even a bit mysterious. The pair had starred in "Electra" and was deemed to have chemistry enough for another teaming despite that film's box office non-performance. Ames is appropriately commanding, demanding and nasty, yet shows a tad of humanity under all his bravado. Trevor, as a rival for both Ames' attention and the theatre audiences', gives an excellent performance. She won an Oscar this same year for "Key Largo." Russell was wise to let her retain her snarky dialogue and let her have a few moments in the sun as it benefits the film nicely to have a costar of her stature. Greenstreet has fun with his probing character (who enjoys bursts of laughter at unexpected times.) Generally, the cast is made up of above-average actors, which aids the quality of the film and makes it interesting to watch today. Comic veteran McHugh has a small role as a stage manager while attractive newcomers Barker and Hyer have little roles as actors in Russell's current play. Tobin appears as an implied-gay gossip columnist. It's an interesting enough mystery story made more palatable by the sheen of some beautiful sets (not the least of which is the opulent theatre itself, one of the largest sets of its kind), costumes and dramatic lighting. It also contains some entertaining dialogue (pre-dating "All About Eve," which would ratchet the chatter up even further, by two years.) Fans of harmonic men's groups will get a kick out of the title tune, crooned by an unknown gaggle of gentlemen.